ABSTRACT
Although early work on parental burnout in the 1980s did not link parental burnout to specific parenting situations, the idea that parents affected by specific vulnerability factors were particularly at risk of burnout quickly emerged. Based on the etiological model of parental burnout (i.e., the balance between risks and resources), the objective of this study was to investigate if there were specific vulnerability factors that significantly increase the risk of parental burnout. 2563 parents participated in the study. We compared parents with a child with special needs (n = 25), parents who had adopted a child (n = 130), and single parents (n = 109), to strictly matched control groups of parents. Parents with a child with special needs displayed higher burnout and lower balance between risk and resources than the control group; parents with an adopted child had similar levels of both parental burnout and balance; and single parents had higher parental burnout but similar balance. Parents who combined specific several vulnerability factors were at greater risk of burnout. Single parenthood and adoption do not in themselves trigger a process leading de facto to other risk factors, but having a child with special needs does.
ABSTRACT
This text offers the testimony of a reality sometimes very complex to conceive, that of a person entrusted to adoption who goes in search of his origins. The process seems simple, but it covers many intertwined aspects, which make the quest perilous. The adopted person, his adoptive parents as well as the original ones, will all find themselves embarked on a new page of their history, full of emotions. They will have to tame the result and continue their journey with this new personal baggage.
Subject(s)
Adoption , Parents , Humans , Adoption/psychology , Parents/psychology , EmotionsABSTRACT
Caring for children with complex needs severely stresses foster and adoptive parents, but few studies have examined their perspectives on needs and services. To examine parental views, the authors analyzed four focus groups (n = 27 participants) and one state-wide survey (n = 512 respondents, 42% of 1206 contacted) of foster and adoptive parents in one state. Results highlighted inadequate communication between providers and families, cultural and legal barriers, needs for parent training and preparation, the importance of several types of parent supports, and needs for specialized mental health treatment for the children. Surveyed parents identified children's behavior problems as their top challenge, and over half rated the availability of mental health providers who treat attachment and family as insufficient. The findings suggest specific areas in which state leaders could enhance training and supports for child welfare staff and foster and adoptive parents and improve mental health services for children in foster and adoptive care.
Subject(s)
Adoption , Child Welfare , Foster Home Care , Health Services Needs and Demand , Parent-Child Relations , Parents , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The paper describes a fifteen-year-old boy who firebombed his adoptive parents in their bed. The boy claimed to have no memory of the incident which occurred during the latter part of the night's sleep. Evidence is given for the diagnosis of Dissociative Disorder, and there is discussion of Sleep Walking Disorder and REM Behaviour Disorder in the differential diagnosis. The contributions made by intrapsychic and family processes are explored and the course of treatment described.